Beetles are the largest insect order; over 350,000 species of
beetles have been documented. This means that about a third of all known
animal species are beetle species. A very large proportion of them,
in turn, are "leaf beetles," those in the Chrysomeloidea superfamily,
and a very large proportion of those are in the Chrysomelidae family.

Beetles have "sheathed" wings: their forewings have
become protective shells, called "elytra," for their membranous hind wings,
which actually do the flying. This is only one of fourteen identifying
characteristics of beetles, but one of the two earliest characteristics to
appear: beetles have had elytra for the past 285 million years. Their hind
wings, made of membrane and which are folded up under the elytra, are a later
development (245 million years ago), at least for the 90% of beetle species in
the suborder Polyphaga (Grimaldi & Engel,
2005, p. 361). Their hind wings are much bigger than their elytra
forewings, sometimes sticking out from under these covers when flying beetles
land. Do they have trouble folding up their big hind wings? Some
Soldier Beetles do, apparently!

NOTE: All IDs on this page as tentative, as are IDs on
every page of this website. But it still has value, perhaps even great
value, because it contains direct observations of a great variety of beetles,
complete with place and date.

Almost all Ladybug Beetle species are carnivorous: all those
that appear on this page are. However, it appears that they (as do many
carnivorous species) also include flower nectar in their diets. Both
Ladybug Beetle larvae and adults walk rapidly over the irregular surfaces where
they are most often found; they are often seen charging up one side of a grass
blade and down the other. They often, though not always, find their way to
any aphids in the general area, and process them relatively slowly.

This shows different species of ladybugs
that appeared in my part of the country (north-central North Carolina).
The Multi-colored Asian Ladybug Beetle is very common and, as
its English name suggests, shows a great deal of intra-species variation, not
simply in color but in size of spots.

Ladybug beetle pupa, Mason Farm Biological Reserve
(area north of the creek), 4/28/07. Since there were 10+ Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle
adults in the immediate area, it seemed likely that this was one, too.

Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle, in mid-metamorphosis
between the larva and pupa states. Note that the legs
are holding this insect to a grass stalk. Durham, NC, 4/26/09

The sequence in the first row (ordered photos of different
pupae, taken on one or two leaves of the same tree) illustrates the changes
Ladybug Beetle pupae of one species go through. On the left is a new pupa,
with the long, thin shape of a larva and some larva parts still showing.
Later on, as the pupa matures, it takes on the round adult shape and the old
larval body parts outside the pupa's shell disappear.

All of the pupae in the first row showed close to a
swamp in my neighborhood. Although their species is unknown, they are
almost certainly not Multi-colored Asian Ladybug Beetles. To judge from
the species of the Ladybug Beetles seen in this vicinity, I would say they are
most likely
Coleomegilla maculata pupae.

Two views of a
larva becoming a pupa, Durham, NC, 7/5/05.

Pupa, Durham, 8/6/05

Pupa, Durham, 7/15/05. See
the leg sticking out the right side.

Pupa, Durham, 6/18/05. I
found this sitting on a leaf. This was about a third of an inch long.

Possibly Psyllabora
vigintamaculata, Little Scaly Mountain, Macon County, NC, 8/9/05. ID
based on Marshall (2006), p. 349. This
beetle showed up at an altitude of about 4100 feet in far southwestern
North Carolina.

There are about 50,000 species of
curculionid snout beetles, also called weevils. They are surprisingly easy
to find, especially in brushy power line cuts. If most species weren't so
tiny, we'd probably be swimming in them, especially if it weren't for ambush bugs, which lie in wait on
flowering plants in brushy areas! Nevertheless, there are some notable
exceptions to the size rule: some weevils are almost an inch long.

Some Leaf Beetles, such as the Colorado Potato Beetles, were
major crop pests because they were imported from outside North America while
their natural predators were left behind. Leaf Beetles in general are far
less common than they used to be as a result of insecticide use. However,
they are still found munching on a variety of weeds and marsh vegetation in my
neighborhood and at least a few other places.

A Locust Leafminer
Beetle (Odontata dorsalis)
working on a leaf near Abbott Lake, Peaks of Otter, Bedford
County, VA, 7/18/12. Adults skeletonize leaves to some
extent, but most damage is done by larvae.

Flea beetle, (Kuschelina
scripticollis, subfamily Galerucinae), White Pines Nature Preserve,
Chatham County, NC, 4/16/06. The only individual I have seen of this
species. Thanks to Eric Eaton and Mike Quinn at BugGuide for genus, species names.

They are called "cryptocephalid" because of the "hidden"
orientation of their heads. Females cover their eggs with their feces, which become a
"case" that the growing larva builds on.

Chlamisini tribe

Warty Leaf Beetle
(Neochlamisus
gibbosus, Chlamisini tribe, Cryptocephalinae subfamily), Durham, NC,
5/10/08. Although most insects (and some treefrogs)
seem to mimic dead leaves, this beetle is typically confused with
caterpillar droppings, but only when it tucks its legs under it and lies
motionless!

Warty Leaf Beetle
(Neochlamisus gibbosus, Chlamisini tribe),Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/4/08.
You can see that there is some variation in the shape and color with
this species.

Casebearer beetle larvae cover nearly all of their
bodies except their legs with a case made of their own fecal matter,
eventually carrying themselves mostly upright. When they mature, they
struggle out of the case and become pupae.

Brown Prionid (Orthosoma
brunneum, Prionini tribe), Durham, NC,
7/7/08. This beetle looked brown to me. This photo taken at
night, and use of the flash showed that the beetle's body surface
reflects red light. I wonder if this is part of the beetle's strategy to
deflect infrared light, since its large body is otherwise vulnerable
to overheating in this hot weather.

Adult beetles live under rotting logs and chew up the wood so
their offspring can eat it.

Bess Beetle
(Papilius disjunctus?), Eno River State Park, Fews Ford access,
12/31/05. This beetle was grinding up rotten log material with its
mandibles. The Papilius taxon is valid according to the ITIS. Species
name given by Encyclopedia Britannica.

These common names are used rather loosely, probably depending
on what time of year these beetles show up in a particular part of the country.

May Beetle or June Beetle (Phyllophaga
genus, Melolonthinae subfamily),
depending on where you
live in the US, Durham, NC, 5/25/08. This beetle briefly struggled
to get its bearing after a mishap and flew off shortly afterwards.

Scarab Beetle (Hoplia trivialis), Durham, 7/13/06

Scarab beetle (maybe Hoplia
trivialis), Occoneechee
Mountain, Orange County, NC, 3/13/06. On this day a group of them
appeared on the road to the summit of this mountain, and several landed
on my hat.

Grubs live in the ground during most of their time as
larvae. Sometimes they emerge and crawl astonishing distances on their
backs. I once saw one moving vigorously along in the middle of the lot
of a large car dealer.

Scarab beetle grub,
crawling on its back in the street. Durham, NC, 8/23/10

Buprestid Beetle (Acmaeodera tubulus),
Durham, 6/2/06. This was a very tiny beetle, looking like a speck
without the camera. Thanks to Adalbert Goertz for genus and family ID. Confirmed by
Marshall (2006), p. 326).

Probably a Buprestid beetle, North
Carolina Museum of Art outdoor trail, Raleigh, Wake County, NC, 5/8/07.
It was about 15 mm long.

Generally, the beetle genus Podabrus is
classified in the Cantharidae family by environmental science workers, but
professional taxonomists disagree, probably because its head and thorax
structure differs greatly from that of typical Elateroideans. This
controversy is reflected on the
Tree of Life Elateroidea Page and
the
ITIS Elateriformia Page.

Podabrus
rugosulus, Durham, NC, 5/18/09. This genus and species name is
generally accepted by those working in the field.

Whitish tiger beetle (Cicindela gratiosa), Carolina
Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 6/23/06. Although these
beetles were numerous that day in the heart of CBSP, I'd never seen them
there (or anywhere else) before and haven't seen any since. ID thanks to Patrick Coin of
Durham, NC.

Six-spotted Green Tiger
Beetle
(Cicindela sexguttata)

This is by far the most common tiger beetle species in my
experience.

Green Six-spotted Tiger Beetle,
Durham, 3/31/07

Green Six-spotted Tiger Beetle
without any spots. I also saw several
others just like it at I'on Swamp, Francis Marion National Forest,
Charleston County, SC, 3/29/06.